Top Programs and Events at the Denver Museum of Nature & Science in December and January

Top Programs and Events at the Denver Museum of Nature
& Science in December and January

TEMPORARY EXHIBITION

A Day in Pompeii

Closes January 13

What nature destroyed, it also preserved. Hundreds of
exceptional artifacts offer an
insider's glimpse into the daily life-and tragic end-of this
ancient Roman city that was destroyed by the eruption of Mount
Vesuvius in AD 79. These archaeological treasures lay buried in
Pompeii's ruins, preserved as if sealed in a time capsule.
Highlights include marble and bronze sculptures, jewelry, gold
coins, everyday household items, and more. Visitors will uncover
the treasures of a city steeped in legend, examine casts of the
volcano's victims frozen in their last moments, and discover the
power of volcanoes past and present.

Extended Holiday Hours

Extended hours to see A Day in Pompeii will be available during
the holidays. For details, click here. The
Museum is open seven days a week year-round, with the exception of
December 25.

IMAX

NEW! Rocky Mountain Express2D

Now Showing

Rocky Mountain Express takes audiences on a steam train
journey through the breathtaking vistas of the Canadian Rockies as
it tells the epic story of building the nation's first
transcontinental railway. The film weaves together spectacular IMAX
aerial cinematography, stunning landscapes of the West, archival
photographs and maps, and the powerful energy and rhythms of a live
steam locomotive.

Deep Sea 3D

Now Showing

Dive deep and swim with some of the most extraordinary sea
creatures ever seen on the IMAX 3D screen. Deep Sea 3D is an
underwater adventure that transports audiences way down below the
ocean surface. Encounter some of nature's mysterious and colorful
creatures, from the unusual wolf eel to the giant Pacific octopus
to the fearsome-looking sand tiger shark. Discover their peculiar
and amazing behavior, and how they rely on one another for
survival. Narrated by Johnny Depp and Kate Winslet, with an
original score by Danny Elfman, Deep
Sea 3D takes viewers on a magical journey to places that most of
us have never been.

PLANETARUIM

SuperVolcanoes

Now Showing

SuperVolcanoes explores rare types of volcanic eruptions that
marshal the energy that lurks, like a sleeping dragon, beneath the
surface of planet Earth. In this unique immersive experience,
audiences will explore the impact of volcanism on Earth and other
worlds in our solar system. Can a supervolcano erupt in our own
time? The answer is surprisingly close to home.

DECEMBER EVENTS

Simon Winchester Presents Skulls

Monday, December 3, 7 p.m. $8 member, $10
nonmember

Book sale & signing

Best-selling author Simon Winchester (The Professor and the
Madman and The Map That Changed the World) plumbs the depths of an
enduring fascination in Skulls: An Exploration of Alan Dudley's
Curious Collection. In visually stunning book, Winchester explores
more than 300 animal skulls-amphibians, birds, fish, mammals, and
reptiles-from the collection of Alan Dudley, holder of what is
likely the largest and most complete private collection of skulls
in the world. Skulls details the parts of a skull and specific
adaptations, the science and pseudoscience of skulls, and the use
of skulls in religion, art, and popular culture. Winchester's
ability to tell riveting and enlightening stories results in a near
perfect survey designed for amusement, the indulgence of macabre
fascination, and learning.

A Pompeii of the Americas

Thursday, December 6, 7 p.m., $8 member, $10
nonmember

Throughout the turmoil of Central America's civil wars in the
1980s, archaeologist Payson Sheets worked to unearth an
extraordinarily well-preserved 1,400-year-old Maya village. A
scalding blanket of ash erupted from the Loma Caldera volcanic vent
around AD 630, freezing the farming village of Ceren in time. Ceren
is located in today's El Salvador and has become known as the
"Pompeii of the Americas." Sheets and his team uncovered evidence
of everyday life in the village, including artifacts showing that
the Maya were likely in the middle of a harvest feast when the
explosion occurred. Unlike Pompeii, however, no bodies have been
found. During this presentation, Sheets, a professor at the
University of Colorado at Boulder, will discuss his life's work in
Ceren, now deemed a U.N. World Heritage Site.

(If sold out online, tickets available at the door.) Enjoy a
mind-expanding experience with cocktails and entertainment every
third Thursday of the month. Ages 21 and up. This month, get ready
to taste trip during an evening full of flavor-bending plants and
savory science. Hear about flowers that numb your mouth, and fruit
that smells like almonds to some and gym socks to others. Debunk
that tongue map you remember from grade school, compare the five
different tastes (yes, five), and have your tongue painted blue so
you can see your taste buds. Warp your flavor receptors with a dose
of miracle fruit-which makes even lemons taste like candy-and savor
our signature cocktail, the Bitter Truth.

Digital Earth: Explore the Rocky Mountain
West

Tuesday, January 22, 7 p.m., $8 member, $10
nonmember

Large-scale environmental changes are often difficult to
document or even to see from our
ground-based vantage. With space scientist Ka Chun Yu as your
driver and geologist Bob Raynolds as your guide, you will embark on
an amazing tour of Earth from the vantage of a satellite in space
and get a bird's eye-view of our ever-changing Rocky Mountain
forests and see how bark beetles, water conditions, climate change,
and management practices are affecting the balance of these
ecosystems.

Diane Siebrandt will share her experiences as the U.S. State
Department's cultural heritage liaison officer at the U.S. Embassy
in Baghdad, Iraq. Siebrandt has been on the ground since 2006,
building partnerships between Iraqi and American civilians,
academics, military personnel, and government officials that will
help ensure the preservation of some of Iraq's most significant
archaeological sites, including Babylon. The Archaeological
Institute of America honored Siebrandt with its Outstanding Public
Service Award for her commitment and diplomacy. You will also learn
how Iraq's ancient wonders are being prepared for global
tourism.

NOTE:Please let me know if this monthly event/program update is
more appropriate for another person at your organization, so we can
update our contact list.

About the Denver Museum of Nature &
Science

The Denver Museum of Nature & Science is the Rocky Mountain
Region's leading resource for informal science education. A variety
of engaging exhibits, discussions and activities help Museum
visitors celebrate and understand the natural wonders of Colorado,
Earth and the universe. The Museum is located at 2001 Colorado
Blvd., Denver, CO, 80205. To learn more about the Museum,
check www.dmns.org, or call 303-370-6000.

Many of the Museum's educational programs and exhibits are made
possible in part by
the citizens of the seven-county metro area through the Scientific
& Cultural Facilities District.